How Does Music Affect Reading & Math Scores?
The jury is in: music education increases math and literacy skills in children of all ages. Laurel Trainor, a professor of psychology and neuroscience, conducted a study in 2006 that compared two sets of children. One group studied music, the other did not. At the end of one year, Trainor reported that the children taking music lessons showed greater improvement in literacy, mathematics and IQ. There is, in fact, several decades of research that confirms Trainor's results. These studies are reviewed in a 1995 publication, "Spin-offs: The Extra-Musical Advantages of a Musical Education."
Other People Are Reading
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Reading/Language Skills
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Jennifer Warner, WebMD writer, reported on a study in 2007 that suggests music education is more effective in enhancing children's communication skills than studying phonics. The study showed that the same set of skills needed in the brain and nervous system for talking and reading are improved by musical training. The journal "Nature" reported on a 1996 study in Rhode Island that looked at first-graders who were enrolled in extra-curricular music classes. These students showed a dramatic increase in both reading and math skills. In 1990, P.H. Wood examined the reading scores of students at a medium-sized university. Music and music education majors had the highest reading scores of any major, including English.
Listening
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Research has also shown that simply listening to music can increase reading skills and comprehension. Music professor Glen Nierman reported on a study of first-graders who were taught how to listen to classical music. When compared to their classmates, the students who participated in the listening study scored noticeably higher on reading and language arts tests. They also received better reading grades in the classroom. This relationship between music and reading has been explored by studies reaching back to the 1950s. A 1952 study conducted with eighth- and ninth-graders showed that using background music in study halls improved their reading comprehension scores, as compared to those who studied without music.
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Math Skills
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Numerous studies have proven the beneficial relationship between music study and math comprehension. Dr. Gordon Shaw, while professor at the University of California, Irvine, conducted several studies examining the relationship between piano lessons and math skills. In 1999, he looked at three groups of second-graders, one of which received piano lessons and used a mathematics computer program. After four months, he tested the students on ratios and fractions. The group taking piano lessons scored 15 percent to 41 percent higher than the two control groups. Dr. Shaw looked at a different group of second-graders in 2000, who were given piano lessons twice a week for a year. When tested, the students scored as well as fourth- and fifth-grade students who did not take piano lessons.
SAT Scores
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Research also suggests that students who play music or take music appreciation classes significantly increase their SAT scores. This fact is demonstrated in the 1999 "Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers," published by the College Board. Compared with students who did not participate in the arts, music students scored between 53 and 61 points higher on the verbal section of the SAT. They also had higher scores on the math section, ranging from a 39 to 42 point increase. Another study that examined three million SAT scores from the years 1987 through 1993 reported similar results. In addition, this study seems to show that the more years a student studied music, the higher the test scores.
Music and Socio-Economic Status
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Several studies have shown that music lessons can help students from lower income groups compete with more affluent students. In the 1990s, researchers at UCLA tracked a group of nearly 15,000 high school students. The study looked at math students who played musical instruments from eighth through twelfth grade and were in the lowest income bracket. A higher percentage of these students achieved high-performing scores on math tests than did the general student population.
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References
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- Photo Credit Romantic music greeting image by Photosani from Fotolia.com Formule image by wally from Fotolia.com
